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submitted 9 months ago by genfood@feddit.de to c/europe@feddit.de
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[-] PM_ME_FEET_PICS@sh.itjust.works 46 points 9 months ago

English is 90 + 2. Ninety is its own distinct word.

French is similar to English (base ten) but after 60 it gets weird and then at 80 switches to base 20 until 99.

70 in French is 60 + 10 80 and above in French is 4 × 20 + what ever number is needed to get there.

[-] pinkdrunkenelephants@sopuli.xyz 11 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

So to say 102 in French, you'd say four-times-twenty-plus-twenty-two.

I don't believe you.

EDIT: What in the actual fuck. You were right. 😳

[-] dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 9 months ago

No. 102 in French is "cent deux".

[-] wkk@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

102 is "hundred-two" so it's only weird for 70 "sixty-ten", 80 "four-twenty" and 90 "four-twenty-ten"...

But the way I learned it each was like it's own word, even if it's not. Just don't think about it too much!

[-] pinkdrunkenelephants@sopuli.xyz 3 points 9 months ago

Why don't they have separate words for seventy, eighty and ninety?

[-] zerofk@lemm.ee 6 points 9 months ago

They do, but they’re only used in some regions. Septante, huitante, nonante.

[-] pinkdrunkenelephants@sopuli.xyz 5 points 9 months ago

Why are they only used in some regions? Is it like a French redneck thing or a French poncy thing or...?

[-] zerofk@lemm.ee 7 points 9 months ago

I honestly don’t know the history. I just know that Belgian French uses septante and nonante, Swiss French uses huitante as well. I think it’s more comparable to the vocabulary differences between for example American and British English.

[-] isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 8 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

In Belgium, it's Septante, Huitante, and Nonante.

[-] LaChaleurDeLaNuit@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

Nonante, not neuvante but yes. In Switzerland and Québec too if I'm not mistaken.

[-] ShiroTheSniper@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

In Quebec it's: 60: 60, 70: 60 10, 71: 60 11, 77: 60 10 7, 78: 60 10 8, 79: 60 10 9, 80: 4 20 (hehe), 81: 4 20 1, 90: 4 20 10, 97: 4 20 10 7, 98: 4 20 10 8, 99: 4 20 10 9

[-] Sigmatics@lemmy.ca 1 points 9 months ago

Don't you dish French in Quebec?

[-] LaChaleurDeLaNuit@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

Ah comme en France alors !

[-] ADTJ@feddit.uk 2 points 9 months ago

I believe in québécois French they use octante instead of huitante

[-] isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 4 points 9 months ago

no, we say soixante, soixante-dix, quatre-vingt, quatre-vingt dix in Quebec :P

[-] ADTJ@feddit.uk 2 points 9 months ago

Ah my mistake, I thought you guys were sensible :P

[-] SolarMech@slrpnk.net 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

No, we use quatre-vignt dix (4x20+10), just like the French. If anyone is using octante or huitante, it is not common parlance to say the least.

[-] ADTJ@feddit.uk 1 points 9 months ago

You mean quatre-vingt, not quatre-vingt-dix right?

[-] Firipu@startrek.website 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Nobody says huitante in Belgium.

It's 60, 70, 4*20, 90.

edit: Downvote all you want. If you say huitante in Belgium, everyone will know you're not from Belgium.

Belgians say Soixante, Septante, Quatre-vingt, Nonante. Even in the dutch language part, that's how they learn french.

If you say Soixante-dix or Quatre-vingt-dix, everyone will know you're french and not Belgian. Pretty simple...

[-] isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 4 points 9 months ago

Interesting, I always thought huitante was common place there, thanks for correcting me

[-] Siegfried@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

In spanish is also 90 + 2

[-] Sigmatics@lemmy.ca 1 points 9 months ago

Seriously, french counting from 20 to 99 is fucked up seven ways sideways.. what were they thinking

this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2023
772 points (98.0% liked)

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